Problem: After the devastating earthquake that took the lives of over 200,000 people, the international community has been searching for ways to relieve Haiti's poverty. Despite the fact that the agricultural sector employs 2/3 of the labor force, more than 60% of Haiti's nearly 10 million population is unable to find sufficient amounts of food. With this high share of involvement of the labor force in agriculture and high food insecurity, investment in the agricultural sector would be the best means for poverty alleviation. Haiti's agricultural sector suffers from 2 main problems, stagnant production and lack of fair trade among producers and retailers.

Innovation: Mache.A incorporates the information sharing capabilities of a market information system with the trade integrability of a commodity exchange into one  service. Mache.A will increase production by providing farmers with crop advice and weather info. The service will also enhance trade fairness, specifically in 2 ways. First by supplying farmers with the prices of local markets and secondly by providing a platform where farmers and retailers can buy/sell their products that have been quality graded. Members can interact with the  service in 3 ways,SMS, Internet, or Interactive Voice Recording.

Service

• Price Dissemination: Mache.A will provide members with locations and prices of local markets. This aspect of the service will allow producers and retailers to locate the optimal price for their goods
• Weather Info: Weather reports will be provided to members by specific geographic regions. The reduction of weather related losses as well as providing information to those farmers who rely on the weather for irrigation of their crops will provide a net gain in production
• Crop Advice: Advice will be provided along all stages of production. Reduction in pre and post harvest losses will be realized as new techniques are introduced and advice on the reduction of disease and pest related complications are supplied
• Buy/Sell Platform: This aspect of the service seeks to improve the supply chain for agricultural products in Haiti by acting as an intermediary between producers and retailers. Mache.A will quality grade products sold on our platform thus guaranteeing the quality of products